A blog dedicated to coverage of rock news, reviews of CD's/DVD's, live gigs and interviews with musicians who have made rock music great!
Coverage of hard rock, classic rock, AOR and popular melodic rock music across the genre.
This blog is the creation of Alun Williams, a Brit now living in Michigan whose previous credits include writing for the following sites:
www.classicrock.about.com
www.classicrockrevisited.com
and www.rocknrolluniverse.com (Now gone)
I hope you enjoy your visit here!

Search This Blog

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Slight Update for Saturday August 27th, 2011

Hi all, first off today, my thoughts go out to those currently experiencing the pain that is Hurricane Irene, as she certainly 'ain't no lady,' as she is whipping it up along the East Coast.

All I can say is if there is an evacuation warning in place, take heed and run, somewhere safer!

To be honest though, if you haven't already acted on the initial warning, you're now going to find yourself in a seriously tight situation as all those roads out are going to be worse than ever right now.

Other than that, I hope those that are in the storms path remain safe with your families. :)

For Rhonda and I, it's another busy weekend, this afternoon I'll be interviewing Night Ranger's Joel Hoekstra, which I'm really looking forward to and then it's off to kids soccer - Footy! - this afternoon, after that drop the kids off with family as we head out to the Alice Cooper show with Ace Frehley opening. Should be a fun one, I hope!

Have fun, but be safe wherever you're going today and take care, Cheers, Al

Irene Hurricane causes havoc for concert goers too

Pollstar.com has just issued a statement regarding the impact of Hurricane Irene on upcoming gigs, a number of shows are for the safety of all, cancelled and I guess they'll be rescheduled at some point in time.

STAN BUSH, a relative new comer to the scene - Back then ... - had previously fronted obscure Mid West outfit Boulder, recording an album for Elektra records, before going solo. Carving out a reputation as a handy songwriter, Bush’s demos secured him a solo deal with the giant Sony label, who figured that they might have the next Rick Springfield on their hands. In many ways they were right but ultimately such success was not forthcoming.

Ushered into the studio, with producer Pat Ryan (Styx), initial sessions amounted to little. Kevin Beamish, famed for his work with REO Speedwagon, interceded, taking over knob twiddling duties. The results, though, were a triumph, allowing Stan the opportunity to deliver one of the most impressive solo albums of the era. With raspy vocals and a backing band consisting of some of the best West Coast sessions players on the scene, it remains one of the best, if largely undiscovered,
AOR albums of the era.

THESTRAND ‘S/T’

Product number: CANDY102

THE STRAND’s origins can be found in a group called Rural Still Life, the very same group that spawned hugely successful multi Grammy winning West Coast AOR stars Toto.

In common with Toto the band were also extremely talented players, some having backed Boz Scaggs both live and in the studio. Just like the session players that birthed Toto, they too hatched plans for their own group, quickly securing a deal with Island Records.

Signed personally by Island founder Chris Blackwell (and named by him), the band’s one and only album , originally released in 1980, was produced, not unsurprisingly, by long time friend and colleague, Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro. The results, as you might reasonably expect, are spectacular, boasting killer songs, jaw dropping musicianship and superb arrangements, all bathed in a stellar production. Listen out too for vocalist Rick ‘Moon’ Calhoun, one of the greatest, yet largely overlooked, vocalists of the genre.

NOTICE:

APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY WITH BOTH STAN BUSH & BARRAGE AND HARLEQUIN‘LOVE CRIMES’ - WE HIT LICENSING PROBLEMS AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR BUT ALL IS BEING RESOLVED. CHECK BACK IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS

For more details on these and other Rock Candy classic reissues, go to:

Def Leppard's frontman Joe Elliott will be celebrating one year on the job for his weekly radio show on Planet Rock. So tune in Saturday (8/27) as Joe will be doing a look back at the year & featuring show highlights and bands including Mott The Hoople, Free, Down 'n' Outz, The Tubes, and Sparks!

Tune in every Saturday on PlanetRock.com at 6pm (UK Time) / 1pm (EST) to stream and listen to weekly new live shows from Joe. All shows will then be available for "ON DEMAND" stream afterward.
Weblinks: